Is your personality such that your friends would call you an inspired or ambitious leader? Do you find yourself, as a consumer, wondering why the market place does not address an obvious need and you have the solution? Are you willing to assume the risk of going to market and encourage others to follow? These are simple examples of qualities in a person we would call an entrepreneur. If you have a venture in mind, are willing to take responsibility and can act as an intermediary; you are ready to begin.
This week I sat in a friend’s office where he made the statement, “Serve the people and be a king; serve the king and be the people.” This declaration may seem simple, yet it is profound. The spirits of those who have led out to address a need in our society have changed the world we live in. Your idea does not need to be as big as Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, which has reached over 200 million people. It does not necessitate being as immense as Google, where founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are now seeing over a billion requests for information a day. Remember Debbie Fields who made cookies? How about Gary Dahl who decided to market pet rocks?
Your idea can be big or small, conventional or outrageous. It may be a product, yet perhaps it is a service. You may have ideas never thought of before or simple improvements on existing consumed goods. Whatever it is, you want to begin now and enjoy the outcome.
What are you doing?
Ask yourself, “Does my idea solve a problem?” Is there a hole in the market that if filled by your product or service would significantly change the lives of your consumer? Think big: To be marketable on a large-scale your business must enhance the life of the customer. Test your idea out on family and friends. If you can make your product yourself, do so; if not, then be prepared to describe in detail your idea. After those on whom you’ve tested your idea respond positively, commenting with “Wow,” “This is fantastic,” “This is better than anything I have ever tried,” or “Where can I get more,” you have something. If the response is mundane with no real sense of fascination, ask them to give you ideas on how to improve. You must have a “wow” to succeed. Do not proceed if you cannot get your idea to a point where the comments from those who are consuming are strong and you are meeting a need. (If you don’t ever get to a point where you have an idea which will gain traction, yet you still have the burning desire to own your own business, find a product or service you can take to market by franchising or joint venturing.)
Fear
At this time you have something which can change your life and the lives of others. You have a big step to take, and this is where most stop and turn back. So what do you do? Fear is what you need to overcome here; if it were not worth it, many before you would not have willingly forged ahead. Take a minute and evaluate those whom you know who have started their own business and what successes they have or are experiencing. Assess what it is about them that is any different from the skill set you have. You will notice they are no different from you; yet they took the step and, as a result, are experiencing their dream. Overcoming the fear is all we need to do in this step. The next steps will help as they calculate the risk. In life there are rewards to those who take risks, and this will be risky. As a result, we want to be judicious and create safety nets to insure success. Build confidence and desire as you move from fear and say, “I can do it, so I will do it!”
Advice
At this point we surround ourselves with trusted advisors. A successful business has a variety of thoughts from differing backgrounds. Find people with diversity in their background. You want individuals who:
• will be consuming or using your product or service
• understand production
• know about financing
• have knowledge in marketing
• recognize delivery methods
• identify with web traffic and design
• have management experience
• etc
Set up an environment where a discussion with these advisors is open. Listen to the criticism and build on the comments by improving your idea. If capital is short, solicit help from those who are willing to give free advice; but understand at this step it is very important to have expertise. You will get a better sense of the value of your idea by these advisors’ eagerness to help. If your idea is worth spending the time, you should get requests for participation from people who are professional.
Planning
Next, after having overcome your hesitancy to enter the market, by testing your product’s viability, and through receiving input from competent advisors, you are now ready to begin. Planning is the next critical step as you are nothing but a dream with legs at this point. You need to organize a structure which will take you from the beginning to where you hope to take your idea. Perhaps you may be working out of your home at first and have plans to move into another space after reaching certain hurdles. I am one who believes that if it is not planned for, it will not happen. You will need details of expected expenses, income, and capital required. In your planning you will discover a release of your entrepreneurial spirit. Over time this plan will need updating and revamping. Be consistent in knowing where you are going and setting your goals high enough to continually challenge your company. This planning is not only needed for you to understand where you can go, but will also be a tool necessary to obtain the funding you will need for the growth.
Funds
Money, money, money. We are now ready to approach the fund providers. There are many options available to assist with your growth. My advice is that you use as many opportunities as you can. There are grants, joint venture groups, and various financial lending institutions. Contact the Small Business Administration, the local and state Economic Development Corporations, and even state business funds. In Utah we have a group called the Utah Fund of Funds or Ustar. So check online for groups providing assistance. You will find very quickly whether or not your idea will be successful based on the reaction of people or groups who are considering funding your company. Do not be easily discouraged and take to heart the comments made. If you are not opening doors, then you need to go back to your advisors with the input you received and recreate.
Hard Work
With money in hand, the work is just starting. You will put in long hours and often be unaware of the time passing as you are passionate about what you are doing. Do not be afraid of hard work as it is the basic ingredient which separates the average from the great. Be tenacious, work smart, and delegate. You are in this to succeed, and you will by using others’ strengths. Often new entrepreneurs have been so intimately involved that they are hesitant to release responsibility. Put in place people who have a similar work ethic and let them shine. Take a step back and ensure that the goals continue to challenge your group. Keep the focus on the customers by continually soliciting their feedback. You got into this to make a difference; never forget that your success will be dependant on continuing to provide the market with something unusual. Learn, grow, and inspire. Congratulations on your decision to follow your dream. Now allow others the same by inspiring and assisting the next upstart through opening doors for them. Remember, you are where you are because of others, and we all are responsible to give back.
Jaren
